What to make of the Warriors looking dreadful to start against an active, clinging Celtics team, rallying to life somewhere late in the second quarter, still trailing by 16 at halftime, and then surging to win in Boston 106-101 last night with the usual GSW combo of great D and Stephen Curry?

Here are a few things that dawned on me while watching the chaos, including these thoughts on Twitter as it was happening:

There is not much shame in getting picked up and tossed aside by LeBron James when he is playing his best, which is the best, though I would think the Warriors feel a little sheepish after going through the experience tonight.

And wonder what the hell they’re going to do if they face James–THIS level of James–in the NBA finals. But the larger point is that LeBron doesn’t always play like this and if he does, nobody can stop him. This is how he has won two titles. Just like this.

Other than the Spurs, the GSWs are probably the team best equipped to defend LeBron because the Warriors have several good mid-sized defenders and Andrew Bogut to protect the rim…. And James still did what he did tonight.

* Pictured above: Stephen Curry and some guy who can’t make full-speed twisting one-handed tear-drops from 8 feet out over three charging defenders...

-I don’t get much into the single-game MVP-race focus, though I know the conversation is out there and it’s always an interesting way to view a game, especially this one tonight in Cleveland, when Stephen Curry’s team takes on LeBron James’ Cavaliers.

It’s on TNT, we’re in the last 30 games of the regular season, the Warriors and Cavaliers are at this point both favored to win their conferences and meet in the NBA finals, and Curry and James are in at least the top handful of MVP names under consideration–along with James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis.

Yes, this single game could have a bearing on the final MVP voting count, one way or the other.

In that case, I’ll suggest that Curry has a bit of the match-up advantage… and that the Warriors do, too, even though they’ll be playing in hostile territory and the Cavaliers are 10-0 at home since LeBron returned from his late-December/early-January sabbatical.

Here we go, excerpts from the discussion with the Warriors executive board member…

* Asked if he thought the Warriors need any additional pieces to make a championship run, West said they need another shooter (around the 5:00 mark).

“I think for sure we need to have a piece. For sure. And I think as we get further into the year, I think if you watch how teams are going to particularly concentrate on our back court, we need more shooting and people who can make shots consistently.